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Research carried out by Professor Vaskar Saha, who is
Cancer Research UK Professor of Paediatric Oncology at The
University of Manchester, has shown that a new treatment increases
survival to almost 70 per cent for children whose acute
lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) returns.

The results of a trial published online in The Lancet (www.thelancet.com) on 4th December were so
promising that now all children with relapsed ALL are being offered
the trial drug Mitoxantrone.

The trial was funded by Cancer Research UK (CRUK) and Leukaemia
& Lymphoma Research. Central Manchester University
Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has sponsored the study since early
2010, providing oversight of all the clinical trial processes
including the conduct, management and safety of the study.
Patients from Royal Manchester Children's Hospital have also
participated in the trial, and it is supported by the National
Institute for Health Research's Manchester Biomedical Research
Centre (MBRC).

Two hundred and sixteen children across the UK, Australia and New
Zealand took part in the trial; 111 were given the standard
treatment Idarubicin and 105 were given Mitoxantrone. After
three years, 69 per cent of children given Mitoxantrone had
survived the disease, compared to 45 per cent of those given
Idarubicin.

Prof Saha said: "These striking results show just what a powerful
drug Mitoxantrone is in treating children whose leukaemia has
returned, offering hope to many families across the country."

The significant increase in survival seen in this trial has
resulted in Mitoxantrone being offered to all children with
relapsed ALL since 2008. As well as improving survival,
children given Mitoxantrone also experienced fewer side
effects.

Over the last 30 years the number of children who have survived
ALL has risen from 50 to over 80 per cent but similar improvements
have not been seen in children whose cancer returns. It
remains the leading cause of cancer death in children, and survival
for children whose leukaemia returns had until now remained
constant at around 50 per cent.
Professor Saha added: "As a result of this trial,
Mitoxantrone is now the standard treatment for relapsed ALL, and is
having a significant impact on the number of children who beat the
disease worldwide. This is the first time that a trial in ALL
has been stopped so early after one drug had such clear benefits
for patients."

Kate Law, director of clinical research at Cancer Research UK,
said: "These exciting results highlight the impact that research is
continuing to have to help more children beat the disease.
Cancer Research UK is the largest funder of research and trials
into childhood cancers in the UK. Today, thanks to research like
this, more than three quarters of children beat cancer, compared to
a quarter in the 1960s."

Also writing in The Lancet, Professor Martin Schrappe of the
University Medical Centre Schleswig-Holstein called the outcome
"one of the largest improvements ever achieved by a single
modification of treatment in childhood ALL".

Ends

Notes to Editors:

Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation
Trust includes: Manchester Royal Infirmary, Manchester
Royal Eye Hospital, Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, Saint
Mary's Hospital, University Dental Hospital of Manchester. www.cmft.nhs.ukThe NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre
was created by the National Institute for Health Research in 2008
to effectively move scientific breakthroughs from the laboratory,
through clinical trials and into practice within hospitals to
improve patient care. As a partnership between Central Manchester
University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and The University of
Manchester, the Biomedical Research Centre is designated as a
specialist centre of excellence in genetics and developmental
medicine. www.manchesterbrc.orgThe University of Manchester, a member of the
Russell Group, is the largest single-site university in the UK. It
has 22 academic schools and hundreds of specialist research groups
undertaking pioneering multi-disciplinary teaching and research of
worldwide significance.
According to the results of the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise,
The University of Manchester is now one of the country's major
research universities, rated third in the UK in terms of 'research
power'. The University has an annual income of £684 million and
attracted £253 million in external research funding in 2007/08. www.manchester.ac.uk For further information please contact: